I'm Just a Beast Tamer

’That’s what I thought, but I couldn’t say it like that.’

Jiang Zuo shook his head. "Grandmasters are rare. It would be a waste for one to die over such a small matter."

"Your younger brother, Lu Shengchun, did indeed die by my hand. But back then, my Great Black was still stuck at the Meridian Passage realm. Your brother failed to steal a treasure, then left me with a threat, vowing he would wait for you to return and get revenge on me."

"I’m usually a friendly person who dislikes conflict, but I’m not without a temper. He had already taken advantage of me for no good reason, which I resented. After being provoked by his threats, my darker impulses took over, and I chose to kill him to silence him."

"But when you live in the martial world, you’re bound to get cut. Those who kill will be killed in turn. I imagine your brother wasn’t a stranger to killing, either. Since he chose this path, I don’t think there’s any cause for complaint in death."

"As for killing your brother, I don’t believe I was in the wrong, nor will I shirk responsibility. Grandmaster Lu, if you ever think you’re strong enough for revenge, feel free to come find me."

Jiang Zuo’s speech won over the hearts of the crowd.

Indeed, for those who ran in gangs, killing and being killed was all too common.

The Earth Dragon Gang had already scammed several Seated Mountain Eagles from Jiang Zuo. They were weaker, yet they still dared to make vicious threats. They deserved to die.

Hearing this, Lu Shengyuan remained silent. He cupped his hands in a salute to Jiang Zuo, then turned and left without a backward glance.

"Hurry and catch up to him! Don’t let him get away!"

Zhou Ruhai and the others, no longer concerned with Jiang Zuo and Great Black, hurried after Lu Shengyuan.

They had originally planned to discuss something with Lu Shengyuan. Now that he had been defeated, it seemed their discussion would be even more convenient.

The members of several gangs followed them away. Although the remaining crowd felt the show had ended too soon, no one dared to stick around and risk offending a Huajin Grandmaster.

One after another, the groups of people departed.

Before long, news of this earth-shattering battle spread across Fire Mist Island at an unprecedented speed.

The former gang leader of the Earth Dragon Gang, a Grandmaster, had returned, vowing to find his brother’s murderer!

Unexpectedly, the murderer turned out to be a dog!

Even more unexpectedly, this dog was the number one dog in the world, possessing Grandmaster Cultivation!

A human Grandmaster was no match for a single move from the dog Grandmaster!

Who wouldn’t love to hear such gossip?

In less than half a day, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone on Fire Mist Island who hadn’t heard the news.

And Jiang Zuo, who had raised a Grandmaster-level dog, once again saw his fame spread far and wide.

His Beast Taming Reputation skyrocketed at an unprecedented rate.

In just half a day, Jiang Zuo had gained over three thousand Beast Taming Reputation points.

Once the news reached Wangxiang Sea City, his reputation would soar even higher!

’At this rate, it seems it doesn’t matter whether that Lu Shengyuan is around or not, does it?’

Jiang Zuo muttered to himself as he watched his Beast Taming Reputation climb like crazy.

’This Beast Taming Reputation is increasing so satisfyingly, far beyond my expectations.’

It seemed the might of a Grandmaster still held immense power in the eyes of ordinary people.

Jiang Zuo had originally thought that if Lu Shengyuan couldn’t bear the humiliation and left in anger, fleeing to a distant land instead of staying on Fire Mist Island or in Wangxiang Sea City...

Jiang Zuo wouldn’t stop him, but he would find opportunities in the future to show up wherever Lu Shengyuan was and "show his face."

Now, Jiang Zuo felt this plan was even better. It was definitely feasible!

Meanwhile, Lu Shengyuan was indeed thinking of leaving.

He was very self-aware. Seeking revenge on a Huajin Grandmaster was a hopeless endeavor he could pursue for a lifetime without success.

Let’s not even talk about whether he could ever achieve the Huajin realm through Cultivation. Even if he one day reached that level...

...what about that big black dog?

It wouldn’t just stand still. By then, the gap between them would probably have grown immeasurably large.

In the world of martial arts, falling one step behind meant falling behind at every step.

Only a handful of geniuses could ever hope to catch up after falling behind.

Lu Shengyuan certainly didn’t consider himself that kind of genius.

"Old Lu, why the rush to leave? You may have lost, but there’s no shame in losing to a Huajin Grandmaster. In this situation today, it would have been the same for anyone."

"No one will laugh at you. They’ll just be amazed that such a powerful dog exists in the world."

At the Nuhai Gang’s headquarters, Zhou Ruhai tried to persuade Lu Shengyuan not to leave just yet.

"If you have something to say, just say it," Lu Shengyuan said, a little helplessly.

Since he had chosen to return, he had originally planned to settle down here.

But no matter how you sliced it, he had lost to a dog. He simply couldn’t face staying here any longer.

"Old Lu, wandering outside can never be as good as being at home. I remember you were born in Wangxiang Sea City, right? You drifted around to make a living, and only came back after you had achieved something in your martial arts training," Zhou Ruhai said.

Lu Shengyuan listened quietly, not speaking.

Wangxiang Sea City was a place that held special meaning for him.

He had experienced hardship here, but it was also here that he had found his purpose in life.

If not for a kind passerby who had taken pity on him and taught him a move or two, he never would have started on the path of a Martial Artist.

"Old Lu, have you ever thought about making Wangxiang Sea City your own territory?"

"You’re a Grandmaster now. It’s entirely possible for you to take over Wangxiang Sea City!"

"The nations of Flying Eagle and Cyan Seagull each only have one Grandmaster."

"We can establish ourselves as kings here and no longer have to live at the mercy of those two nations!"

Zhou Ruhai said in a low voice, revealing his greatest ambition.

Although he was already the leader of the largest gang on Fire Mist Island and in Wangxiang Sea City, and was, on the surface, practically half the master of Wangxiang Sea City...

...he couldn’t be a single cent short on the money owed to the two nations.

The Government Office officials from those two nations often made trouble for them, all to extort as much money as possible.

Zhou Ruhai had long thought about breaking free from the two nations’ exploitation.

And Lu Shengyuan, a potential Grandmaster, had been his target.

He had been deliberately building a good relationship with Lu Shengyuan for a long time, all for this day.

In Zhou Ruhai’s view, even if they couldn’t completely break away from the Flying Eagle and Cyan Seagull nations, securing more autonomy for Wangxiang Sea City would be no problem at all as long as Lu Shengyuan was there.

"Actually, maybe we can ask for Master Qianhai’s help. He seems to quite like Fire Mist Island. If he’s willing to help, things would be pretty much settled," He Tieshou said after a moment of thought.

The few people present were stunned for a moment, but the more they thought about it, the more sense it made.

Before today, no one knew Master Qianhai had a Grandmaster-level dog, Great Black.

And besides training Seated Mountain Eagles, Master Qianhai never got involved in other affairs.

As long as they agreed to some of his conditions, there was a good chance he would agree to help.

After all, he wouldn’t even need to act personally. He would just need to deploy Great Black, the Dog Grandmaster.

As someone who had grown up in Wangxiang Sea City, Lu Shengyuan had also entertained the idea of breaking free from the two nations’ exploitation.

If they could get Jiang Zuo’s help, Lu Shengyuan couldn’t help but feel a stir of excitement.

"If Qianhai agrees to help, then I can agree to act as well," Lu Shengyuan said, having made up his mind.

"The Nuhai Gang has a decent relationship with him. I’ll go find him!"

This was a rare opportunity, Zhou Ruhai said immediately.

Without delay, he found Jiang Zuo that very afternoon.

’Wangxiang Sea City wants independence, and they’re asking for my help?’

Jiang Zuo hadn’t expected Zhou Ruhai and the others to be plotting something like this.

Various thoughts flashed through Jiang Zuo’s mind.

In just a few breaths, Jiang Zuo had reached a conclusion.

’It’s feasible!’

’This deal can be done!’

Originally, to farm reputation, Jiang Zuo had planned to spend money to hold a martial arts tournament in Wangxiang Sea City every three years.

He would have those Martial Artists fight the Seated Mountain Eagles he raised, and they would receive a sum of silver taels regardless of whether they won or lost.

The strongest among them would even get to face Great Black and experience the power of a Huajin Grandmaster.

But now, as long as he helped Zhou Ruhai and the others seize Wangxiang Sea City, he wouldn’t have to go to all that trouble.

As long as he pulled off this one job, he would be able to continuously gain a massive amount of Beast Taming Reputation in Wangxiang Sea City.

’Who would have thought? Zhou Ruhai and his men have brought me such a great gift!’

"I can agree to help, but I have one condition," Jiang Zuo said, trying to remain calm.

The thought of the amount of Beast Taming Reputation he could potentially gain made Jiang Zuo a little excited.

"Please, speak! As long as you agree to help, Master Qianhai, we’ll agree to anything within our power!"

Hearing Jiang Zuo was willing to help, Zhou Ruhai’s spirits lifted immediately.

As long as Jiang Zuo didn’t demand more than half of Wangxiang Sea City’s future profits, everything else was negotiable.

"Don’t be nervous, my condition isn’t difficult. After you take control of Wangxiang Sea City, I will create a position for myself, something related to Beast Taming," Jiang Zuo said with a smile.

Jiang Zuo hadn’t yet decided what kind of position would allow him to maximize his Beast Taming Reputation gain.

So he just stated it vaguely for now.

"That’s it?"

Zhou Ruhai was a little incredulous.

"That’s it!"

...

Before Zhou Ruhai left, Jiang Zuo made it clear that he wasn’t interested in the specific details of their plan. They should just come find him when they needed his help.

When the time came, he would have Great Black, and even the Seated Mountain Eagles, step in to help.

Receiving such a reply from Jiang Zuo, Zhou Ruhai excitedly returned to the Nuhai Gang’s headquarters.

"Good, it’s settled then!"

"However, nothing needs to change for now. Even if we make a move, we can’t act just yet."

"The Flying Eagle and Cyan Seagull nations will definitely not stand by and watch Wangxiang Sea City fall into our hands. They will certainly take action."

"So we still have a lot of preparations to make. We need to stockpile large amounts of food and weapons, and we also need to find a way to build city walls around Wangxiang Sea City!"

"Keep this secret. For now, no one besides us should know about this plan!"

Zhou Ruhai hadn’t been preparing for this day for just a day or two.

He had carefully considered many things; this wasn’t just a whim.

Seeing how thoroughly Zhou Ruhai had prepared, and with Jiang Zuo’s promise of support, He Tieshou and the others felt their confidence in taking Wangxiang Sea City double in an instant.

Jiang Zuo didn’t care about their plans. He continued with his great cause of Beast Taming.

And just as he had expected, when the news that Lu Shengyuan had been defeated in a single move by Great Black, the Dog Grandmaster, reached Wangxiang Sea City, Jiang Zuo’s Beast Taming Reputation experienced an unprecedented surge.

In a single day, it had increased by a full seven thousand Beast Taming Reputation points!

Jiang Zuo’s Beast Taming Reputation was now approaching twenty thousand!

He was richer than he had ever been!